Sophy's Birthday

Last weekend my baby turned 5!  I have no idea how she got so big so fast, but it's true.  We had a party at Aunt Trish's house and the kids had tons of fun.  The 101 degree heat was a bit much, but the kids didn't seem to mind.

14 glue sticks...

WoW.  I started the school supply shopping today.  I was floored by some of the items on her list.  Why are teachers so particular about brand names?  When the teacher puts a brand name on the list I feel compelled to get that brand even when I know another will work just as well.  For instance it says that she needs fiskers scissors.  Does it really need to be fiskers?  Won't Office Depot brand scissors work just as well? 
And 14 glue sticks?  For one kindergardener who is only there for half the day?  Really?  14?  Doesn't that seem excessive?  And the pencils have to be sharpened.  So I have to go buy a pencil sharpener just so I can open her brand new pencils and send them to school sharpened. 

I can't wait until Sophy is old enough to do this for me.

Lola's 3rd Birthday

This year we had a carnival theme for Lola's third birthday.  We had a popcorn cake, games, face painting, yummy fair type foods, and even a ball pit.  The kids loved the party and Lola was so very tired when it was all over.  I think she had a great day.

Easter

We had a very eventful Easter this year.  It was a busy day.  We started out in OKC, but had to drive to Iowa for a funeral the next day.  We were able to attend church at home with our church family before we left though.  I thought I would share a quick picture of the girls in their pretty dresses.

Ok Go

For Valentine's Day this year Jeff took me to see my favorite Band in concert in Kansas City.  It was awesome!  I can't wait until I get another chance to see them live!

time flies

I have been dealing with stuff.  A lot of stuff.  Stuff that I wanted to talk about but didn't want open to the whole world via the internet.  So I clamed up.  Unfortuantely that meant months with no posts.  I am back now though.  So I will post the highlights of the last few motnhs:
We are having a baby. 
It's a boy!
Ok, so I think that's about all I was going to share.
So I will resume my regularly scheduled posts now.

Letter to the editor:

Dear Entertainment Weekly,
I was happily reading my EW in the tub when I came across your article 'TV'S 50 Biggest Bombs and Blunders'.  Number 37 on your list annoyed me.  You said : "Besides M*A*S*H has it ever worked [to turn hit movies into shows]?"  You mentioned My Big Fat Greek Life, Ferris Bueller, Uncle Buck, and Clueless; all of which stunk up TV screens across America.  I agree that I cringed when I heard of my favorite movie of all time 10 Things I Hate About You becoming a series, but even this doesn't blind me from the many shows that came from movies and still managed to find their way on the small screen.  Must I remind you the Buffy The Vampire Slayer was once a movie?  This show was not only popular but spawned it's own spin off, Angel, a feat that you link to being a success.  What about Stargate?  It is not only a cult favorite but has spawned two spin offs in the form of Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe.  To say that M*A*S*H is the only movie to successfully make the jump to the small screen is ridiculous.  I don't think that these shows are any more likely to fail then all the other new shows that are put before us each year.  In all cases it is as much about the writing, directing, cast, and promotion that determine the rise or fall of a new series then it is the shows origins.
-Sincerely,
Shannon

Learning to write better.

I have discovered a love for writing. I love creating a story and watching as it twists and turns in directions I didn't prepare for. I love crafting characters that develop a life of their own and proceed to argue with me about the things I try to make them do because they simply will not bow to another personality! It is an amazing adventure that happens in your mind.

Putting this experience onto paper and sharing it with your friends and family becomes a whole new adventure. You have to deal with questions (Why did he do this? What happened to her stupid bag? etc.) and you have to deal with others' opinions of your manuscript baby. The loudest of these in my case was a writing professor brother who felt I needed to know just how awful my writing itself was. (Really do brothers ever get better about picking on their sisters?) Luckily for me I had been forewarned of these reactions.

What I wasn't prepared for was an expectation to learn how to write better. It's one thing for someone to tell me my writing sucks, I was ready for that, but for them to show me how to get better?

My writing is still terrible. Every time I read through anything I've written I'm shown again all my flaws. I pick up one of my brother's tales and I'm instantly transported to another time full of adventure and mystery. I don't notice the words on the page, just the story unfolding before me. That is how I want to write. I want to tell a story without the reader being distracted by the writing.

I have been cursed with a professor brother who points out my flaws, but it's a blessing too. He is also patient with me and willing to help. Part of his New Years goals involved starting a website to help people like me. So if you want to learn how to write better you should check it out. At the end of the year we'll all see if my writing has improved. In the meantime, just hang in there with me...I'm working on it.

Unstressed Syllables
http://www.unstressedsyllables.com/

Recapturing Project Enthusiasm

I love that feeling you get when you start a new project. There is the thrill of planning, organizing, and dreaming of the finished product. I always start with such good intentions of finishing in a timely manner. I dive in headfirst! I get immersed in whatever is my current obsession, living, eating, and breathing it until I lose sight of my normal daily activities.
For those that know me this is part of my wonderful/awful personality. I can be a passionate person and awesome friend, until I sink into my self made hole and stay there until sometime pulls me out of it.
I rarely finish something in a timely manner. I get half way through any given project and get distracted by the next interesting thing to catch my eye. That's right I have shiny object syndrome. (Isn't there a mythical creature known for being easily distracted and easily entertained? Elves? Fairies? Any insight? Maybe I'm a changeling and it's not really my fault!)
All that to say that my current writing project got shoved aside for my awesome apron-sewing project! Then that got pushed aside so I could get some reading in. Now I am obsessively cleaning and organizing my home. Did I mention I love organizing and look for excuses to organize things? I haven't? Well you should see my newly organized coat closet! It's orga-fabulous!
So how to get myself back to writing? Well an email from one of my readers politely pointing out that the story isn't over and has been left hanging for a month is one good way. I plan to read through my entire story to date (no major edits allowed) as if I was reading it for the first time. Then allow my mind to drift into the world of Adelaide again. Lets see if I can get back into my own make believe world. Wish me luck.
Oh and if no one hears from me for a while...well that just might mean I succeeded...that or I saw something pretty and sparkly!

Book Addict

I have a confession to make: I have fallen off the wagon, again.

I discovered this when I woke up this morning bleary eyed and word hung over searching for my oh so important book so I could get a quick fix before taking the kiddo to school. Sadly after grabbing my book I was forced to a realization.

Hello, my name is Shannon and I'm a book addict.

When Jeff left on Sunday I thought I would just read one book to keep my mind off him being gone. Of course the one book I read was finished too quickly. I devoured it in one sitting. Then the desire was there. I wanted a new book now. "It’s only one book." I told myself, "I'll keep it cheap." I justified as I drove to the bookstore. I left that store proudly clutching my one book. A nice fat paperback that should keep me busy for a week. Little did I know that it was not one, but two books in one! "Even better" I thought. I happily dove into my new read. The end, however, was not the end. Turns out my books were the first two books in an eight book series. I am now the owner of six of those books. The last two aren't out yet. I have finished reading four of them.
I now am just hoping to finish the last two in quickly so that I will be able to return to my regularly scheduled life.

Hopefully I will find the help I need to pull myself out of this. But do they even have Over Readers Anonymous?

2010 Goals

I finally decided it was time to write about my 2010 goals. As discussed before I think Goals suit my life much better than resolutions. I plan on sticking with goals this year too. After all it worked out pretty well for me last year.
Goal #1: Complete novel #2!
It has been over a year since I wrote my first novel. I focused on reading last year. And even though I greatly enjoyed it, and learned a lot, I plan on focusing a little more on writing this year. I am about ten thousand words into book #2 right now. I hope to complete it with at least 65 thousand words before the year is over. Now honestly I would like to finish it a lot sooner than that, but actually getting it done is a big motivation for me. I hope by going public with my goal I'll be more likely to hold myself to it.
As a side goal I hope to research and learn more about writing. I hope to write much more on here and I have several guest post/articles I have been asked to write for other blogs. My brother has started one for writers which I hope to utilize to better my word crafting. I hope to do a post here about it as soon as I get a few moments to put it together.
Goal #2: Laundry!
I am notoriously bad about washing clothes, piling them on the couch, and forgetting about them! I hope to get on top of my laundry situation and stay on top of it! I worked out a great system last year, but it involved having light in my laundry room...so job number one will be to fix the broken light fixture and/or replace it. I also hope to do a load ever other day to keep things from getting out of control. We'll see how it goes.
Side goal for this one would be cleaning out old clothes from the house and re-organizing all our closets. Ah, I love an excuse to Organize something!
I have a few smaller goals for the year, but not ones I feel compelled to go public with. As anyone else I hope to lose some weight, but I don't have a specific number in mind. To that end I worked out for the first time since before thanksgiving (possibly longer) today. It was brutal! My body hurts rather badly, but I managed to stick it out for over an hour and I feel good about that. I also found a new favorite workout song. I notice that I find them ever so often. Songs from the past have been: The New Workout Plan by: Kanye West and Pizza Butt by: MC Chris. Current Fav.- Imma Be by: The Black Eyed Peas. All fun up-tempo songs. You should check them out on iTunes. Sadly after pre-ordering the new Ok Go album and downloading new workout music I have little of my iTunes card left for writing music...oh well.
Happy 2010 everyone. What are your goals?

Teaser

So I had a request for a teaser of my book. I am currently editing my first book, so I am leaving a teaser of my work in progress. I hope you enjoy. It's a rough draft (as in completely untouched! No editing at all, please don't judge too harshly).

_______________________________________________

The rolling hills comforted me little. I could feel the tears fighting to break past my defenses as I ran. The way was steep pulling me down toward the valley. I felt the pull and struggled against it. The weight was unbearable. Earths gravity pulled me in one direction while the crushing weight from above shoved me downward. Only my shear will kept me moving up. Higher ground. That is what I needed. If I could only reach the top of the hill, see what lies beyond.

My teary eyes just made the route more difficult. I knew that the path was easier, less steep and smoother, but I refused to go that way. The village is all too visible from it and I needed no reminders. I doubt that anyone would be watching, or even care if they saw me leaving. No one cared about me anymore. I could feel the weight press harder on y chest with the thought. I was on my own.

I could see the gentle mound that is the top of the long hill. I was almost there. The mystery of the beyond no longer scared me as it had in my youth. The last three days had pushed me beyond the fears of childhood. I now had bigger fears.

Just as I reached the top my foot connected with the bare granite that composed most of this hill. Gravity finally won out as it pulled me down on my face. I could feel the soft dirt now covering my face turn to mud as the tears finally escaped their dams. I pulled my knees to my chest as I let the pain have me. Waves of sadness, regret, and loss rolled over me.

The bright light of day faded through twilight to the soft dark blues of dusk before I was able to regain any sense of composure. Fighting to once again contain the racking emotions I managed to put them all away into their box hidden deep within my chest, next to my now tiny quiet heart. I could feel the sobs lessen until they no longer left me trembling. Slowly I focused on relaxing my muscles until I could stretch out my legs, spread my fingers from their tight clasp, and finally sit up.

The valley before me was only faintly visible in the failing light. It was empty from the foot of Manform Hill to the base of the Ranker Mountains in the distance. The plains of the valley were covered in tall grasses and criss-crossing rivers. It was fantastic to think this large valley was uninhabited when just behind me our own tiny valley was over populated to the extreme.

Besides our small village there are two other towns within our tiny valley. With only the one river through the middle it seems odd that no one has crossed Manform hill to settle this mass of land before. After all how many other laws are broken everyday in the outerlands. Kenser alone is known for it’s thriving black markets being situated as it is on the edge of three different kingdoms. Even our just King looks the other way as long as he gets his share in Farinth. Garithville is so much smaller that they freely poach the forest just to fill their bellies. No one in Manithton think too much of breaking laws, not really, and yet, here this land sits empty and fertile.

The sinking sun casts shadows on the ground before me. Soon the darkening valley will be lost from view entirely. I have no desire to return, but the vastness of the valley before me suddenly feels me with dread of the path I have chosen. Maybe waiting to cross at first light will be the better option. I begin to search for a suitable place to camp the night. I have brought no supplies with me and my stomach is loudly protesting this fact. If I am lucky I will find some roots or edible plants while I search for shelter.

Unfortunately the failing light isn’t aiding in my search, so it is by shear luck that I find a wild strawberry patch. Nestled in between several trees just fifty yards down the hillside is a natural spring feeding the patch. In my desire to remain dry I actually stepped on the ripe fruit before realizing it was there. The soft squish beneath my feet provided the information in time to save the rest of the patch from my large feet. I sat on the roots of a tree as I gathered and ate my fill. The cold fresh water was a blessing as it served not only to quench my thirst but also to relieve me of my dirt and grime.

With my tummy full and my face and hands clean again the journey before me no longer felt as hopeless as it had moments before. The hillside was just as steep on this side. If I didn’t know any better I would say that it was the same side I had been on all morning. I even glanced up a few times to make sure that the tell tale lights of Manithton weren’t visible, the dips and folds of the land were so familiar at times.

About three fourths of the way down I finally stopped for the night. There the land curved into the hill making a sort of cove. I lay in the soft grass and stared up at the sky now covered in twinkling stars. I could feel my thoughts fighting me again. The pain swelling up within me, fighting to get out. If I gave in to so much as one memory of the last week I knew I would lose it entirely, but how to keep the thoughts at bay?

All I wanted to do was think about her, and all I wanted to do was to forget about her. How could such contrasting feelings exist so strongly within me at the same time? It felt like I had been a part of a battle for too long. First the ridiculous battle that was imposed upon us by our King, the great battle in which I lost my father two years ago. Then the battle to survive that my mother and I had fought since. The battle for respect from my mother stung to think about now that she was gone too. I had lost my battle with my emotions once already today, I didn’t feel like repeating that one again anytime soon. The only battle I had even begun to win so far was my bid for freedom.

I loved my home. It was always messy in the tiny home that I had shared with my parents and older brother. When the conflict with Darnorth, the kingdom to the south of Gronum first arose my brother join with the Kings army. Convinced of his own invincibility he left for war with a spring in his step. His cheerful wave as he left was the last sight of him I would ever have. I knew mother never gave up hope of his return. Often when she was baking I would see her hands slow until she was staring out the window still with dough on her hands. With a soft sigh she would always shake herself out of it, but I still noticed. After dad too left for the war I hoped with a ferverant hope that one or the other would return to us. No one ever comes back from war though. Not to our tiny cottage. As hope died mother and I had to get creative to save ourselves.

Mother had always been known for her baking. For years she had made a few coins a month baking for a few families. With no one to provide for us anymore she decided to put her skills to work. We turned our front room into a shop hanging the small sign with a painted loaf of bread over the door. We made enough to survive, but here wasn’t much left over for the finer things in life. I wasn’t allowed a coming out as I would have received if Father had never left. I watched as my friends married and settled as I worked. I held my hands in front of me looking at the angry red marks that were splashed across the backs. I had long since grown accustomed to the course feel of my palms. Hands that had one been soft and white, a sign of my station in life had become a sign of my new position. With little to recommend me anymore I was left with few options when mother grew sick. I did my best to carry on, but once she was gone I knew so was I. What did I really have left for me there?

I’m not sure when in my thoughts the tears returned, but this time they were tame, running silently down my face without the body racking sobs that had accompanied them earlier. I was now committed to my path. A path that would lead me through the unknown, into the Ranker Mountains and hopefully to the equally unknown Kingdom of Ranker. Although unsure what I would find I had hope. What more could I ask of life now than hope?

Comments

When an email popped up in my inbox informing me of a comment on here four times out of five it would be a spam bot trying to sell male enhancement drugs or spread a virus or something else of the sort (thus the comment moderating). So unless I recognized the name seeing comment mail wasn't that exciting. That is until recently. After the AWESOME comment from Elizabeth Knox (which if you haven't read Dreamhunter and Dreamquake- you should, as in stop what you are doing and go get it right now..oh wait, after you read this though) I got a few more from unknown peeps. Now checking my email is a joy! What is it about strangers that make it easier to listen? Maybe that I expect that most my friends live by the "if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all" adage.
Now in these comments I noticed one that stood out to me:

Anonymous said...
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!

Now this got me thinking. Why is it getting better? Most the time I feel like it is now sadly forsaken for the ease of the one line status on facebook. I have also been known to go months without posting. So why is it better? Did they mean the writing or the content or both?
So I did a little browsing over my blog.
When I started this blog I had only been married a year, I had an infant daughter, and was still trying to figure out how to be a wife and mom. I paid no attention to how I was writing, but more to what I was writing about. It was meant as a way to keep my family updated on my quickly growing little girl. Only I had another baby. So then all the milestones that I had to write about became the same old thing. During this time I had become consumed as a mom and homemaker. I spent each moment trying to keep my family happy, healthy, fed, and CLEAN! It was an exhausting existence. I spent little to no time thinking about myself or any of my dreams, achieved or otherwise.
Then my life changed.
I know lots of people talk about how much they like the Twilight books and even more make fun of the whole vampire/human girl teen relationship thing. I get that. But Twilight changed my life, actually Stephanie Meyer did. I read the books, devouring them the way I do any good read. Only when I finished I hopped online to check out what else could be found about the series and discovered the story of how this book came to be.
Stephanie talked about how she had a dream and was afraid of forgetting it because of her crazy mom memory. I thought "Hey I have a horrible memory too. I know just what she means.". She talked about having three small kids and not sleeping and I thought "Hey, I have two small kids and rarely sleep anymore either.". Then she talked about writing the story of twilight for her, no one else, sneaking away to the computer to type when she could be spared. I thought 'Wow, she found time for herself?".
That was the beginning. I started by trying to write a book. Seven weeks later with the help and coaching of my brother and sister I completed my first novel. I started editing and looking into agents and all the things that go along with trying to get published.
In the end I decided to write a new book and set that one aside for now. I don't regret it, in fact if I am never published I won't regret it. I did something I never thought I could do, I wrote a book! And more importantly I found the time to do something so entirely just for me in the middle of my crazy mom schedule. All of a sudden it was like the scales fell from my eyes! I could do stuff for me! I started doing a lot of things again that I had given up, I have taken back up sewing, and cooking. My housekeeping even improved as I got the rest of my life back together. Now I feel completely different then I did a year ago. I lay in bed dreaming of all the things I could do in life again, much like a younger me. I kept thinking my time for dreaming and conquering the world was over when I had my babies, now I realize that I can just take them along for the ride with me.
So say what you want about Twilight, or Stephanie Meyer, but she woke me up and I will forever be grateful to her for that. With that awakening apparently came a better blog. So I guess the return for listening to me go on and on about Twilight is having something better to read on here?
Agree? Disagree? Discuss...I LOVE comments.